Mary Helen Stefaniaks novel, The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia (W. W. Norton), received the 2011 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction. For 83 years, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards have recognized books that make important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Juror Rita Dove described the novel as a rollicking tale that manages to speak seriously to the tragedy of ignorance and the damage caused by fear. The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia was also selected by independent booksellers as an Indie-Next Great Read."